iron cross

[Turbofeber]

why is some military decoration last used by the nazi regime a popular item being used as backlights, emblems etc on motorcycles and hot rods ?

Is it that it was given for valor ? Does it simply look cool ? i'm not saying it's a nazi symbol - because as you can see the iron cross had a distinct addition in the 1939 version. I'm just wondering why =)

and to be perfectly honest -- i think it looks kinda cool, but i wont use it unless i get something more specific as to why ...

hope someone answers

[V2K_CCTX]

The Iron Cross (German: Eisernes Kreuz (help·info)), sometimes mistakenly called the Maltese cross, is a military decoration of the Kingdom of Prussia, and later of Germany, which was established by King Frederick William III of Prussia and first awarded on 10 March 1813 in Breslau (now Wrocław). In addition to the Napoleonic Wars, the Iron Cross was awarded during the Franco-Prussian War, the First World War, and the Second World War.

The Iron Cross has not been awarded since May 1945 and is awarded only in wartime. It is normally a military decoration only — though there were instances of it being awarded to civilians for performing military functions. As an example, the civilian pilot Hanna Reitsch was awarded the Iron Cross First Class by Adolf Hitler for her bravery as a test pilot and was one of only two women awarded the Iron Cross First Class during World War II.

The Iron Cross originally was the symbol of the Teutonic Knights (a heraldic cross pattée), and the cross design (but not the specific decoration) has been the symbol of Germany's armed forces (now the Bundeswehr) since ca. 1870.

The Iron Cross was founded on 10 March 1813 in Breslau and awarded to soldiers during the Wars of Liberation against Napoleon. King William I of Prussia authorized further awards on 19 July 1870, during the Franco-Prussian War. Recipients of the 1870 Iron Cross who were still in service in 1895 were authorized to purchase a 25-year clasp consisting of the numerals "25" on three oak leaves. The Iron Cross was reauthorized by Emperor William II on 5 August 1914, at the start of the First World War. During these three periods, the Iron Cross was an award of the Kingdom of Prussia, although given Prussia's preeminent place in the German Empire formed in 1871, it tended to be treated as a generic German decoration.

The 1813, 1870, and 1914 Iron Crosses had three grades:

Iron Cross 2nd Class (German: Eisernes Kreuz 2. Klasse)
Iron Cross 1st Class (German: Eisernes Kreuz 1. Klasse)
Grand Cross of the Iron Cross (German: Großkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes, often simply Großkreuz)

[Turbofeber]

not to sound rude , well just a little, i did google that too - but does not answer
my question why it has been adopted by motorcyclists and hotrodders ...

[fretbuzz]

This doesn't answer your question either, but it's not the only "emblem" to get a bad rap because of some idiots.

[Turbofeber]

i know its not the only one - and as i said above - i know it symbolizes diffrent things to diffrent people - and also that the 1939 version of the iron cross is the nazi one - i just wonder how a german military distinction becoms a symbol used in hotrodder and biker circles .

[Mercury]

I am not german, I am Italian, so maybe I should put this on my bike :mrgreen



just playing around gang

kenny

[StarGate]

All you are going to get if anything are opinions. If thats what you want then I'll give you mine. Apparently it's not an item of German origin although it may be most commonly thought of as that. I have never looked up the info posted about it so that was interesting to me. There are probably more that use it not knowing it's origin or association, than there are that do, so it's just "cool" looking for them and thats their reason for using it.

[StarGate]

Duplicate post deleted text.

[V2K_CCTX]

The bottom line, bikers tend to adorn themselves with rebellious or objectionable symbols to defy the norm or authority...the iron cross, of last, symbolizes both the Eliteness of the award, and the ideology of Nazi Germany...the Superior race etc...

[Turbofeber]

http://www.kawasakimotorcycle.org/fo...iscussion.html

http://www.kawasakimotorcycle.org/fo...ese-cross.html





and as stated in those two threads also -- maltese cross and the iron cross are different symbols .. just very similar looking

[antiq]

Why so many in love with flames?

[A2rider]

Originally Posted by antiq

Why so many in love with flames?

How else would you know the sheeple?

[Turbofeber]

"The Iron Cross is often worn by certain members of the biker community, originally worn not because of its Nazi connotations but more as a sign of rebellion but today is perceived as a symbol of honor, valor, strength and standing up for one's beliefs."

from wikipedia just to wrap the thread up

[JG6_oddball]

because were kool and your not! (sticks tongue out at turbofeber and runs away )

S!

[JG6_oddball]

since we ride metric what symbol should we have? Bushidō maybe, rising sun,...

S!

[Turbofeber]

i'm actually looking into a color scheme with graphics inspired by japanese art etc .. just need to make it early eighties style .

[JG6_oddball]

[JG6_oddball]

anybody know what that means? i made that graphic

S!

[A2rider]

"Your mother wears Army boots"

[StarGate]

Spent 2 years in Japan and the only Kanji I could recognize when I left there was my name. I thought I was doing good to speak the basics like Hello, thank you, hurry, and count to 10.